Changes
by Alissa1
Summary: Chapter 4 up! This is a story about Rebecca and Kit getting kidnapped by Karnage and the effects that this will have on the entire H4H crew.
1. The Abduction

Disclaimer:  I do not own TaleSpin and they were never meant to be in the somewhat interesting situations that I am putting them in.

Changes 

They had been on the island for five years now.  A long time by anyone's standards, but especially for them.  The two were not treated well here on Pirate Island.  It could be worse though they often thought.  They could be dead.  Or maybe that would be better.  Of course they knew that was not true.  Hope was still there that they would be rescued, although that hope was fading as the years went by.  They often thought back to the day it happened.

Five years ago at Higher for Hire 

"Kit, get down here.  You have a run in less than an hour.  Are you still asleep?  How can you possibly still be asleep?"  Rebecca asked astonished as it was already close to 11:00 in the morning.

"Because me and Baloo just got back from Louie's at five o'clock this morning." Kit explained as he groggily walked down the stairs stretching.

"Then how did he actually get left on time at eight o'clock this morning?  He can't leave on time then if he goes to bed the afternoon before?"

"Simple.  He never went to sleep."  Kit said smirking, as he went off to find something for breakfast (quickly turning into lunch).

Rebecca, who had gone over to her desk to do some paperwork, stopped and looked over at Kit sitting at the kitchen table eating some cereal.  Her thoughts went back, as they often did anymore, to a few short years ago when he wasn't even in any of their lives.  Okay, it was more than just a few years ago.  Closer to about seven, but it still didn't seem that long.

Just then Kit got up and started heading out the door to load the cargo.

"Ya know Ms. Cunningham, since we're making so much more money that we can hire me as an extra pilot, I think that we could also hire someone to load cargo for us."  Kit said jokingly as he continued out the door.

"In your dreams Kit, in your dreams."

Rebecca had never told him that they didn't actually make enough more to hire another pilot.  Her and Baloo had both taken pretty substantial pay cuts to keep him on board.  They both knew what Kit would do if he didn't have a job at Higher for Hire.  His other dream, the one that they all were terrified of.  Joining the Cape Suzette Air Force.  That was one of the most dangerous occupations available.  She didn't even want to imagine what it would do to all of them if something happened to Kit.  Especially what it would do to Baloo.  Since he had graduated high school a few months before, she was pretty sure that they spent every waking moment either flying or spending time with each other.  Besides, Baloo would give up any amount of money to be able to work side by side with his son.

A loud thud snapped Rebecca out of her daze.  She jumped up out of her chair, sending it flying across the room, and ran out the front door to see what had happened.  To her horror she saw Kit lying on the dock with blood trickling down his head.  Dumptruck stood over him holding a piece of board from a box that they had broken against the side of the dock.  Before Rebecca could do anything she was grabbed from behind and quickly tied up, blindfolded, and gagged.

She herself was never knocked out.  Which could have been a crueler punishment.  It left her to spend the several hour plane ride hysterically worrying.  She was scared to death that they had killed Kit.  They had loaded him up like he was a prisoner too, but he hadn't moved this entire time.  'He hasn't moved this entire time.  You would think he would once, just once.'  She also worried about her daughter.  'What will she do if something happens to me?  Will Baloo take care of her?  Do I want Baloo to take care of her?  I'm just glad that she was at school today.'

Suddenly she realized that the plane had stopped.  They had landed, but where?  She had really lost all sense of time and direction once they were past the Cape Suzette cliffs.  'How did they get past the cliff guns?'

She felt a gust of cool air hit her as she realized that a door in the back of the plane was opened.  It was not the warm tropical air that she was used to.  'Where did he take us to?  Will Baloo know where to find us?'

She shivered as she felt the cold edge of a cutlass pressed up against the side of her face.  She immediately knew whom it belonged to.  There was no question in her mind that standing only a few inches away from her was Don Karnage.  She tried to keep completely quite.  She knew that she could not speak with the gag in her mouth, and she knew that hearing her muffled screams would only bring him joy.

"Aaaahh,  Rebecca Cunningham, so nice of you to join us here.  I hope that your time here will be pleasurable and your accommodations comfortable at your stay in my beautiful home-type-place."  With that she felt the broad width of the cutlass press up against her face, leaving only the slightest drip of blood to slowly stream down her face.  She heard him walking towards the back door.

"Oh, and by the way, your bumbling Babaloo will not find us.  I have made quite sure that he is uh, taken care of, if you know what I mean."  With this Karnage continued walking out the door of the plane leaving only stillness inside.

Rebecca felt that she could no longer hold back her emotion anymore.  She started sobbing at the thought of what could happen to Baloo.  Then she looked over at Kit.  She couldn't even tell if he was breathing.  He was too far away.  She didn't hear anything though.

At that moment there was a loud bang as the back door was once again thrown open.  This time it was one of the lesser pirates, she could tell that.  This one did not have the grace, the smoothness that the one before had.  

"The boss says that we have to put them in the dungeons."

"But what if they don't want to go to the dungeons.  Remember the boss said to make them comfortable."

"You idiot."

Back at Higher for Hire 

Baloo jumped out of his plane at the site that he saw as he was landing the Sea Duck.  Kit's plane was still here.  There were broken pieces of board all around the dock.  And the door to the building was wide open without a person in sight.  

"Oh my God!  Is that what I think it is.  Is it, is it – blood?"

"Becky, Becky are ya here?"  Baloo yelled as he ran inside of the building.  What he saw horrified him.  It had completely been trashed.  There were papers strewn all across the floor, and the safe had been broken into.

On the staircase he saw something.  It was a note pinned onto the banister with a knife.

Dear Mr. Babaloo,

We have the annoying business-type-lady-person and also Mr. Clownkicker.  Not that he will be bothering us for a while.  You will not be able to find them, so don't even try.  

Don Karnage

"That bastard!  I have to find them."

'My boy, he's got my boy.  My boy, he's got my boy.  Oh, and Becky too.  He's got my boy.'  Baloo thought as he ran out to his plane to go and start a search for his missing friends.  Where, he had not decided yet.


	2. The Rescue

A:  I know that I am putting the TaleSpin characters in some interesting situations that they would not have been a part of in the show.  I realize that some of the characters may seem out of character.  But who knows what they would have been like ten years later.  Anyway, I just wanted to say that I have the deepest respect for TaleSpin.  I think that it is one of the best, if not _the_ best Disney cartoon ever made.  I am just doing a little creative writing.  It is not meant to degrade the characters in anyway.  If you can degrade a cartoon that is. 

The Rescue 

They were being led down a long dark corridor.  The hall was lit by what seemed to be a never-ending row of torches that lined the walls.  Rebecca couldn't help by shiver as the cold air started to penetrate to her bones.  The sound of Kit being roughly drug behind echoed through the corridor.  She still did not know if he was dead or alive.  There was still hope though.  There would always be hope.

After what seemed like forever they finally stopped in front of a cell.  The pirates proceeded to unceremoniously shove them in.  They then took off her blindfold, took off her gag, and untied her.  She looked over as they began untying Kit.  When they had removed all of the ropes, they roughly threw him on a bed in the corner of the cell.  

"How dare you throw him like that you big oafs!"

Pretending that they didn't hear anything the pirates turned and walked out of the cell, locking the door behind them.  When they had left Rebecca ran over to Kit.  To her relief she could tell that he was breathing.  Barely.  He had a horrible bump on his head though.  She made him as comfortable as she could on the bed, and covered him up.

Rebecca lay down beside him.  She didn't want to go to sleep, but the tiredness was about to overtake her.  Not much could be seen in the dimly lit cell, but she could tell that there was another bed in the other corner.  However she could not bring herself to go over there.  She had to be beside Kit.  She had to know that he was still all right, was still breathing.  She fell asleep that night with her head on his chest, comforted by the rhythmic rising and falling.

Somewhere Over the Ocean 

"Does Karnage think I'm stupid?  Any idiot would know that he took them to Pirate Island.  That's where all of his prisoner's are.  Everything will be okay.  I'll just go there and get 'em and bring 'em home.  Me an' Kit have outsmarted him a million times.  Yeah, I know me an' Kit.  But you don't have to be a genius to outwit a pirate."  

Just as Baloo finished telling himself this, there was a tremendous racket.  

"It's pirates.  They're shootin' up my plane.  Again!"

Baloo ducked just in time.  Right then a wave of bullets passed over his head and through the headrest on his pilot's seat.  Just then over the radio.

"Hello bear-type-person.  It is I the glorious Don Karnage.  The most feared pirate to ever fly the air.  The best, most loved, --"

"Yeah, yeah, we know.  Get on with it.  What have you done with Kit an' Becky?"

"Why that is for me to know and you to not find out, Mr. Babaloo."

"Listen, I'm not an idiot.  I know that they're on Pirate Island, so you can just go ahead and let them go and save us some time here."

"Since you are so sure of yourself just go on.  We will hand them over to you."  Karnage laughed to himself as he said this, thinking about the little surprise that he had planned for Baloo.

"Well, okay then."  Baloo was a little shocked by how easily Karnage gave in, but then just decided that Karnage must have seen that he was serious.

A Little While Later on Pirate Island 

Baloo landed the Sea Duck just off of the shore that was next to the opening of Karnage's hideout.  He had been here before with Kit and therefore knew where the prisoners were kept.  

Karnage's planes landed not far from his making a ruckus as they splashed down on the water.  

Baloo immediately jumped out of his plane and waited for Karnage on the shore.  The pirate sauntered up to him with an evil grin on his face.

"Alright my loyal little servants, bring out the prisoners."

 Baloo stood shocked with a horrified expression on his face as the pirates proceeded to bring out two badly charred bodies.  At first he didn't believe that it could be them.  This had to be some horrible trick that Karnage was playing.  But they were somebody's bodies.  These were two people that Karnage had actually burned to death.  

Baloo took a very apprehensive step forward to take a closer look at the bodies.  They were just about the exact size, but still there was no proof.  Then as he continued looking he suddenly saw something that caused his heart to fall through his stomach.  There on the larger bodies finger was a ring.  A class ring with a blue stone.  One very similar to the one that Baloo had gotten Kit as a graduation gift.

He bent down and slowly removed the ring.  On the outside was Cape Suzette High, along with Class of 1944.  Now with trembling hands he read the inscription on the inside of the ring.  _To my son:  We are all so proud of the things that you have accomplished.  Remember, this is only the beginning.  Love, Baloo_

After reading this, Baloo sank to his knees crying hysterically.  This was real.  They were really dead.

End of Chapter 2

Chapter 3 coming soon!

Please R&R.  I have a tendency to lose interest in writing fics if I don't get anyfeedback.  


	3. The Realization

The Realization

Pirate Island

Rebecca was awakened by movement.  Kit was stirring beneath her.  He was coming out of his sleep, a deep sleep.  He had been unconscious since the afternoon before.  

'Thank God' was the only thing that Rebecca could think as she looked down upon him.  His head moved from side to side as he slowly came to.  

"Wh-where am I?"  Kit asked in a few ragged breaths, as he looked up at Rebecca in a daze.

"You're alright sweetheart."  She said as she gently stroked his forehead.  "You just got a bump on your head.  You'll be better soon though."

As she said this, his eyes rolled back in his head, causing a cringe from Rebecca.  He was again unconscious.

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The Sea Duck 

Baloo shakily steered his plane through the Cape Suzette cliffs and into the harbor and the home that would never again be the same.

The flight back from the island had been a blur.  He wasn't even sure how he had made it back to his plane.  His body had been on automatic since the realization of all of this sunk in.

As he neared the Higher for Hire building another horrible thought struck him.  A thought in which his mind had not even had room for before now.  Molly.  What would he tell her?  Possibly more important, how would he tell her?

Before he could even think about an answer to any of these questions, he had landed the plane and was stepping out onto the dock, still very much on autopilot.

"Baloo, where have you been?!  Where's mom and Kit?  Are they with you?  I've been worried sick!"  She managed to finish breathlessly as she ran out of the building towards him.

She immediately stopped though, the look on his face telling her that something was terribly wrong.  He stood still, silent.  Not seeming to be able to find the right, or for that matter any, words to say.  Her mind raced, tears welling up in her eyes.

Baloo slowly moved towards the girl still not knowing what to say.

"Molly, I-I'm sorry."

With that she immediately ran into his arms crying.

"They were kidnapped by Karnage."

Molly immediately jumped back from him, hope filling her young eyes.

"We can go rescue them."

"No honey, no.  It's too late, they're gone."

"What do you mean they're gone?"

"They're not comin' back."  As Baloo said this he reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out Kit's class ring.

Molly took the ring into her hands and looked it over.  It was almost as if she didn't believe that it could really be his.  As she fingered the blue stone, she could not longer deny the truth.  She dropped the ring and took off running, leaving Baloo.

Baloo could do nothing but stand in that very spot on the dock where Molly had left him for what seemed like hours, which in reality was probably only a couple of minutes.  He had his own grief to deal with, but he knew he had to comfort Molly.  She had become almost like a daughter to him in these past few years.  

Standing there he couldn't help but think about how wonderful things had been just a couple of days ago.  He had never really had a family since he was a young boy, that is until these three showed up.  It all happened so fast.  

First there was Kit, who had quickly grown into the most important thing in his life.  And would eventually legally become his son.  And then Rebecca and Molly had been a packaged deal when they showed up.  Molly had quickly taken to Kit, who enjoyed having a 'little sister'.  And to the older bear she was a daughter that he never had.  Had never thought about having. 

Baloo had not quite taken quite so quickly to Rebecca.  After all she did take his 'baby' from him.  She had also gotten them into quite a few crazy schemes since she had been there.  But, Baloo looked back on those times fondly now.  In time, however, the two had become quite close.  Best friends of sorts.  Something that Kit and Molly were quite happy to see.  Baloo figured that the two wanted them to get married.  To become a real family, but things just never seemed to work out that way.  He vaguely wished they would have now.

He was snapped back into reality by a crack of thunder.  A storm was coming.  He hadn't even noticed it before.

Baloo was starting to get very worried about Molly.  Why had he let her run off like that?  She was out there all alone.  He knew that he had to get to her.  He was also pretty sure where she went to, so he took off after her as a heavy downpour started.

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Back at Pirate Island 

Rebecca was suddenly awakened by the sound of screaming from down the hall.  'What is happening to that poor person?  No, no I don't want to know.  I have more important things to think about.'

She had no idea how long she had been asleep.  There was no way to tell what time of day it was in there because of the fact that there were no windows.  The only light that showed any in the cell was that which came from the torches in the corridor.  

Kit was starting to awaken again, Rebecca assumed because of the shrieking down the hall.  He slowly opened his eyes and groggily looked around.  It was only a moment before a look of recognition came across his face.  He immediately jumped up out of bed, to do what nobody knew because he never made it that far.  As soon as he was vertical, and the momentum of his thrusting out of bed was gone he went straight to the floor.

Rebecca tried to catch him as he collapsed, but that was a lost cause.  He outweighed her by about 80 pounds.  He didn't seem affected at all by his drop to the ground though.  He just sat there thinking, remembering how he got there.  What little he was conscious for anyway.  

"You need to get back up here and rest some more.  You'll do no good by getting hurt and not being able to move at all."  Rebecca said to him in a very motherly tone.

He did as she told him to, just as he always did when she talked to him like that.  He was a very independent person and did not like to be told what to do, but there was just something about the sense of security that it gave him.

"How are we going to get out of here?"

"Baloo will know where to find us, he always does Kit."

"I'm not so sure this time.  We haven't been to Pirate Island for years.  And whose to say that Karnage wouldn't trick him into thinking that we are someplace else.  It certainly would be past him."  Kit said this as he leaned back against the concrete wall, wincing in pain as he did.

"He'll find us."

"I hope so, Ms. Cunningham."

Rebecca looked up at him noticing the use of her formal name, which had been given up years ago at her insistence.  She then leaned her head on his shoulder.  She did not know what was to come, but was comforted in the fact that she would not have to go through it alone.

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Rebecca's Apartment 

As Baloo neared the apartment he saw that the door had been left partially open.  Under normal conditions this would have been cause for a pretty substantial lecture, but given the circumstances it was a blessing.  He knew that Molly wouldn't have opened the door for him and he had never even thought to bring his key.

He slowly opened the door and stepped inside.  He could hear Molly crying from the back.  'Probably in her mother's bedroom.'

"Go away!"  Molly yelled as Baloo entered the room.

"I can't.  We need to talk about this."

"No we don't!  I don't ever want to talk to you again.  You let them die.  You let them die!"

Baloo was already in tears at this point, but hearing those words almost dropped him to his knees.  He didn't know what she needed to hear or what he needed to do.

On his way over he had come up with an idea though.  He didn't know how she would react to it, especially right now.  But it was their only option

He made his way over to the bed that she was curled up on, crying into her mother's pillow.  His hand reached out to her shoulder, but she jerked away and buried herself deeper into the pillow.

"There was nothing I could do.  Don't you think I tried to save them?  They were two of the most important people in the world to me."

Molly's sobs continued.  This time when Baloo's hand reached out, she didn't flinch.  He tentatively continued.

"But there's someone else who's just as important to me.  And that is why there is only one thing left for us to do, that is if you want to stay with me.  D-do you want to stay with me?"  Baloo asked with the same heart wrenching fear that he had just a couple of years ago when he was about to ask this same question.  The same fear that kept him from asking Kit this for three years.  

Molly turned around, still crying.  At this point, she was more than a little confused.

"Of course I want to stay with you.  Where else would I go?"

"Wo-would you like me to adopt you?"  Baloo barely choked out.

She just sat stunned for a little while.  This question had taken her completely off guard.  What was happening?  Her entire would was suddenly turning upside down.  It was only a few moments before she knew the answer that was in her heart.  

Unable to say the words, she was only able to nod yes to the loving father sitting just a few inches away from her.

A wave of relief washed over the big bear as he pulled the girl into an embrace.  They were all that each other had now.  At that moment, he made a silent vow to protect her from all of the evils in the world.  He would of course have to work harder to make more money and they certainly couldn't stay in the run down Higher for Hire building.  Maybe he could afford to stay here?  Maybe not.  But he would try his best to give his new daughter the best life that she could possibly have.

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Next chapter coming soon!

Please R&R J


	4. The Decision

A/N:  Okay, I've finally gotten off my lazy butt and did something.  Sorry it's been sooo long since the last chapter, but I've had some RL issues.  On a happier note, I've graduated college this past month, yay me.  Okay, anyway, on with the show and stuff… Chapter 4 Higher for Hire 

Baloo was standing in the doorframe between the kitchen and the office.  He stood staring at his daughter, the girl that he had adopted not all that long ago.  The sight before him both broke his heart and made him the proudest papa in the world.

Molly stood looking in the mirror adjusting her cap and gown.  She was desperately trying to make her cap go straight, which was looking more and more unlikely as the minutes went on.  'Next time I'll try on the cap before I do my hair', she thought in frustration.  

Baloo chuckled to himself as he watched the scene, thinking that Molly looked almost vain as she continued primping in front of the mirror for quite awhile longer.  This was funny to the big bear because this was a trait that was very unlike Molly.  She was much more comfortable out helping Wildcat fix the engine on the Sea Duck than she was putting on makeup or doing her hair.  But she was growing up…all too quickly.

"Aaaaahhhhh!  This is never going to go on right", screamed Molly as she threw the cap across the room.

"It looked fine to me Pigtails."  Baloo said as he walked across the room towards her.

"It looked horrible!"

"No it didn't.  It'll be alright."

"No it won't -- it won't ever be alright!"

Baloo was slightly taken aback by this reaction.  

"It won't ever be right!  Mom's supposed to be here.  She isn't here.  She's supposed to be here!"  Molly screamed as she collapsed down upon the sofa.

Baloo walked over to the sofa wanting to comfort the sobbing girl.  She hadn't even mentioned her mother for several months.  Baloo knew that she certainly hadn't forgotten about her, but he did think that maybe she was healing – moving on.

As he looked down upon the crying girl on the sofa, he was at a loss for words.  He knew he couldn't bring her back, as much as he wished he could.  They sat in silence for a few minutes.  Molly eventually calmed down, like always.

Every time Molly looked up at him with tears in her eyes it always brought him back to that terrible day when all of this started.  And like many times in the past the big bear tried to comfort the girl as best as he knew how.

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PirateIsland

The sun was just beginning to rise on the island when Rebecca got up to take a bath.  She had never appreciated this luxury as much until after she and Kit had been held captive down in the dungeons for over six months.  She didn't think that she was ever going to see daylight again.  Then, just when she had given up hope, they were suddenly moved to a prisoner's camp.

Rebecca didn't even know that Karnage was smart enough to think of such a thing.  Although she had always wondered how he had managed to handle such large amounts of stolen goods.  

He had built camps that were actually pretty comfortable; compared to what you would expect anyway.  They had a house.  It was nothing special, just a shack really, but still a house.  There were exactly 32 huts that were aligned to form a sort of oval shape.  Rebecca had had an ample amount of time to count the huts.  It was ingenious really, she thought.  The way that they were spaced apart, and with the trees, there was no way that you would be able to see them from the air.  Not that any planes flew this route.  The only planes that they ever did see were Khan's.  They had direct orders to ignore anything that didn't relate to the cargo that they were carrying.  And they did it quite well.

Rebecca slowly walked home from her day of keeping inventory, a job which she detested but came quite naturally, when she noticed something unusual.  A plane was landing on the airstrip.  But not just any plane – it was one of Khan's planes.  She decided that she had to go investigate.  'I've been around Kit way too long' was the only thing that Rebecca thought as she silently made her way through the jungle brush to get a better view.  It was probably just a hi-jacked plane, but they almost never kept the plane.  All the pirates wanted to do was to get the loot and get out. 

When she got closer, she noticed something else that was quite strange.  It was one of Khan's pilots that flew down.  She continued to watch as the pilot got out of the plane, talked to one of the pirates as the cargo was being taken, and then got back in his plane.  She was more than a little surprised when he started his plane up and started down the runway.  

"This is very wrong.  I've got to go tell Kit.  He'll know what to make out of it."

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Molly lay in her room on her bed.  She couldn't stop thinking about that evening.  It would definitely be one of the most special days of her life, she knew that for sure.  

She had managed to finally calm down enough to make her way through graduation.  As she sat there in her cap and gown listening to the commencement speeches and then the names of her classmates being called off, tears formed once again in her eyes.  It was a very bittersweet moment.  

Finally, her name was called.  As she walked across the stage to receive her diploma she looked up in the audience to see Baloo sitting there in a very nice, yet rarely worn suit, wearing a grin a mile wide.  She felt very proud in that moment.  But maybe more importantly, she felt more loved than she had felt for a long time.  Baloo, her father, meant the world to her.  But only now in this moment did she really understand how much.  

After the ceremony Baloo had taken her out for very nice meal.  It was by far the most expensive restaurant that Molly had ever been in, and she suspected the same was true for Baloo.  Was this really Baloo, she kept thinking.  This was a very un-Baloo like thing to do.  Just knowing the fact that reservations to this place had to be made weeks in advance made her feel really special.  To know that he was thinking about how to make this night memorable for her that long ago made the girl smile every time she thought about it.

As she lay there, still gazing up at the ceiling, a knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts.

"Come in."

"Hey.  I uh…I just…well, I got something for you", Baloo said as he held out a box to her.

"Thanks Baloo, you didn't have to", she said smiling as she took the box from him.  

"No, I didn't have to.  I wanted to."

Molly unwrapped the package and looked up at her father for just a moment before opening it.  Inside were a pair of diamond earrings.

"They're beautiful, they really are, but…how can you afford these?"

"I've been saving up for awhile.  Nothing too good for my little girl."

"I'm not so little anymore, Papa Bear."

They both froze for just a second.  It had been so long since anyone had called him that.  And Molly couldn't quite believe that she'd said it either.  It just came out.

"Well, good-night", the big bear said as he gently kissed her on the top of the head.

"Good-night."

When she was alone again she sat there looking at her gift.  She had never owned a real piece of jewelry before.  Like their dinner before, it just made her feel special to know that he had spent the time to pick out a gift especially for her.  

It wasn't the money that was spent on it.  She really could have cared less about that.  It was that Baloo was willing to give things up for her, something that she had never really thought about him doing before.  He was willing to give up partying at Louie's and whatever else he wanted to spend money on, just to save up to buy her something that he thought that she would like.  It really made her feel warm inside.

"I could be happy here.  I could really be happy here.  -- Finally"

She got up to start getting dressed for bed, when she plopped back down.  "I can't do this.  I need something…some sort of closure."

A few moments passed.

"I have to go to Pirate Island", she finally said with a look of determination.

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Chapter 5 coming soon!!!

Please R&R 


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